Interestingly understated headline in the Independent:

Concern as Brunei brings in system of Islamic law with punishments that include the dismemberment of limbs and stoning to death

Well yes, that would awake some concern.

The Sultan of Brunei, one of the world’s wealthiest rulers and a close ally of Britain, will this week oversee his country’s transition to a system of Islamic law with punishments that include flogging, the dismemberment of limbs and stoning to death.

I hate having close allies like that, don’t you?

The 67-year-old absolute monarch declared last year that he wanted to introduce a full sharia system in his oil-rich nation and warned critics who took to social media sites to complain that they could be prosecuted using the new laws.

Well that’s the advantage, isn’t it. A perfect system – harsh laws and sadistic punishments, which can be invoked against YOU if you object to the introduction of harsh laws and sadistic punishments. A perfect, closed system, just the ticket for one of the world’s richest dictators.

Offences include insulting the Prophet Mohamed, drinking alcohol, getting pregnant outside of marriage and “sodomy”. The latter will be punishable by stoning.

“It is because of our need that Allah the Almighty, in all his generosity, has created laws for us, so that we can utilise them to obtain justice,” the Sultan said at the time.

Stupid thing to say. What need? We can create our own laws, that will be better than those shit laws imposed by a man who lived 14 centuries ago and had the moral views you would expect from a man who lived 14 centuries ago, and claimed they were created by “Allah the Almighty.”